Story Review | Hangdog — Media Women Worldwide

Written By: Pamela Fortier

Hangdog is a simple tale set in Portland, Maine. This is the hometown of one of the main characters, Wendy, who has recently moved back to be closer to her father after his recent heart attack. Her boyfriend, Walt, has moved to an unfamiliar place, where he is among strangers and though he’s doing his best to settle in to his new home, it’s not easy. He isn’t sure how he fits into the Portland community and what he wants to do with his life.

Part of the problem is the newly rescued dog, Tony, who has bonded with Wendy exclusively. When Wendy goes to a professional conference leaving Walt and Tony on their own and Walt’s worst fear comes true: he fails in his dog-sitting responsibility and Tony goes missing. Anxiety ridden in the best of times, Walt must reach deeply to find the courage and tactics to bring Tony back home. The internal struggle is acted well and is endearing and relatable. His mission translates easily through the screen and nothing less than getting Tony back will bring the story to a satisfying resolve.

The plot moves with a mix of humor, tension and unexpected twists. The characters that become his allies and adversaries are essential to Walt getting back his dog. His neighbor, Maryann, reaches out to him as a wise truth sayer who accepts his shortcomings without recrimination and gives him ways to quiet his mind like sanding wooden pieces in her workshop. The other person who helps him is Brent, a longtime resident who gives Walt an inside line to the perpetrator’s mother, his ex-girlfriend and fierce protector of her wayward son and thief. Her blind devotion and inability to see her son’s shortcomings is the last barrier Walt has to overcome. It seems insurmountable. She is a very tough cookie. Walt’s decision to break into the enemy’s camp to rescue the dog is an edge of seat sequence that was an essential point in Walt’s efforts. Maryann described it as the “zero f**k” moment that changes everything.

Not to ignore the influence of Walt’s girlfriend, Wendy, in the story who looms as both the inspiration of his determination and the source of Walt’s anxiety. He is afraid to tell her of his failure to protect Tony. He worries that she will never forgive him and for a while it appears that his anxieties were well founded. Unaware of all his hard work to rescue Tony, she reprimands him for his failure to be honest with her. Wendy’s credibility is strained when her parents visit and her father, who has recovered from his heart attack better than ever expressed his surprise that she moved back for him. Pushed to the wall, honesty erupts from Walt finally. He has come a long way from where he is at the start of the story.

Walt is the hero you didn’t know you needed. In order to rescue Tony, Walt’s self loathing has to be reversed. He has to learn to trust that he is worthy of love. He is so ordinary and so fallible that his personal triumph so hard fought he is an easy character to root for and it is a film that is easy to love.

For more information about Hangdog, check out the links below:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15225614/

https://www.bigshins.com/hangdog